Open Letter to EC from EU Industrial Leaders

Nineteen European CEOs call on the European Commission to act urgently if the region is not to become a sideshow in the competitive digital economy. The letter was signed by the CEOs of Capgemini, CaixaBank, Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Bank, Einride, Enel, Eni, E.ON, Ericsson, Iberdrola, Industria de Diseño Textil, Nokia, Renault, RWE, SAP, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Sonae, and VERBUND, and was delivered to EC President Ursula Von Der Leyen.

In the letter, CEOs state that developing and implementing digital innovation is critical to increasing Europe’s competitiveness. In this context, enhanced and secure connectivity underpins digitalization as one key enabler for productivity and decarbonization across sectors. They added that, despite efforts, telecom investment per capita is half of that in the US, and Europe is lagging in 5G and fiber deployment. This is why they agree with the EC analysis that more must be done to fix the situation, adding support to action aimed at improving investment in connectivity and digitalization across Europe.

Today, European businesses invest in digitalizing their processes, applying AI, and accomplishing the “Industry 4.0” vision, but this cannot be achieved without innovative connectivity. “As home to some of the world’s top telecom manufacturers, Europe has been a major force in advancing network innovation. However, more support is needed if we are to continue to build European technology leadership in trusted and advanced connectivity,“ the letter states.

Europe’s industrial base is powerful, but it requires high levels of investment and adequate policy conditions so that each of its parts can grow, innovate, and stay competitive at the global level. Connectivity is no exception. As European industry, they urge for increased collaboration and investment in trusted, secure, resilient, and high-quality connectivity, as well as in computing infrastructure.

”This is why we believe that it is urgent to take action now and shape the future of European digital infrastructure. European competitiveness is at stake. We applaud the launch of the EC White Paper and believe it is essential to ensure that the needs and proposals of all industries are considered in future work. Only by doing so can the efforts of European players be sustainable and successful,” concluded CEOs.